Read the full interview here: All Are Called to Mysticism

Portrait of Raimon Panikkar by Ilvio Gallo

I left Europe [for India] as a Christian, I discovered I was a Hindu and returned as a Buddhist without ever having ceased to be a Christian.

— Raimon Panikkar

I am saddened to hear of the death of theologian and visionary Raimon Panikkar, who died in Spain on August 26. He was 91 years old. Born of a Indian Hindu father and Spanish Catholic mother, Panikkar became one of the most admired and renowned theologians of the great interfaith conversation between east and west in our time. Raised in Spain and educated by the Jesuits, he was a friend of some of the most renowned Christians of our time, including Jean Danielou, Yves Congar, Hans Urs von Balthazar, Bede Griffiths, and Swami Abhishiktananda.

I first learned about Panikkar when I began working at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Several of the monks, independently of one another, suggested to me that I should read Panikkar, particularly his Christophany: the Fullness of Man. I picked up that book and found it to be electrifying: an exploration of Christ, suggesting that “Christology” is too rationalistic and, therefore, limited; Panikkar offered the far more mystical concept of “Christophany” to suggest that the point is not to talk about Christ, but rather to seek to encounter him. True to his dual heritage and his towering intellect, Panikkar drew from both Biblical and Vedic sources, as well as John of the Cross and the church fathers to articulate a vision of Christ that is rooted in Christian tradition but fully transcends it, to encompass the wisdom of science and the great mystical traditions of the east. The result is a celebration of Christ that is deeply Trinitarian, profoundly post-tribal, and thoroughly mystical. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Of course, it’s not a beach read. But it’s well worth approaching in a lectio divina sort of way. Incidentally, if you’d like a more accessible introduction to Panikkar’s thought, check out his The Experience of God: Icons of the Mystery; and if you really want to sink your teeth in his thought, look for The Rhythm of Being, a 400-page opus in which Panikkar considers “the unity of cosmic Mystery in this distillation of the wisdom of East and West, North and South” (from the back cover of the book; I haven’t read it yet).

If you don’t have time to read an entire book by Panikkar, check out this article online: Nine Ways Not to Talk About God.

In The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, I finish my list of “the communion of mystics” with five living persons who I believe history will recognize as great Christian mystics. Of the five, the one I felt most confident about including was Raimon Panikkar. And now he has gone to join the communion of mystics on the other side of eternity.

Rest in peace, Father Raimon. May light perpetual shine upon you.

For a more detailed account of his life work, please visit Raimon Panikkar’s Obituary at National Catholic Reporter.

The contemplative discipline of meditation, what I will call in this book contemplative practice, doesn’t acquire anything. In that sense, and an important sense, it is not a technique but a surrendering of deeply imbedded resistances that allows the sacred within gradually to reveal itself as a simple, fundamental fact. Out of this letting go there emerges what St. Paul called our “hidden self”: “may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong” (Eph 3:16). Again, contemplative practice does not produce this “hidden self” but facilitates the falling away of all that obscures it.

— Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land:
A Guide to the Christian Practice of
Contemplation

Introduction to Christian Mysticism
through Emory University’s “Evening at Emory” Program.

The renowned twentieth century German theologian Karl Rahner said, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.” What could he have meant by this? In the popular mind, mysticism is associated with eastern spirituality, like Yoga or Zen. But there is a little-known tradition of meditation and spiritual awakening even within Christianity. This non-sectarian class will survey the history of Christian mysticism from Biblical times to the present, explore the meaning of mysticism and why Christians often view it with suspicion, and consider the role that mysticism might play in Christianity of the present and future.
Textbook: The Big Book of Christian Mysticism.
Instructor: Carl McColman
September 23-October 21, 2010
7:00-9:00 pm
Click here to register

• Mary Margaret Funk, Thoughts Matter
• Seamus Heaney, Seeing Things
• Gareth Higgins, How Movies Helped Save My Soul
• Robert Kee, Ireland: A History
• Gordon Lathrop, Holy Ground
• Gordon Lathrop, Holy People
• Gordon Lathrop, Holy Things
• John Paul Lederach, Building Peace
• John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace
• John Paul Lederach, The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace
• Carl McColman, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism
• Carl McColman, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom
• John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
• John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us
• Seán Ó Duinn, Rites of Brigid
• Seán Ó Duinn, Where Three Streams Meet
• Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers
• Walter Wink, Naming the Powers
• Walter Wink, Unmasking the Powers
• John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus

I’m sure there are others that I missed (if anyone who was on the retreat reads this and thinks of a book that was part of the retreat experience for them, please let me know and I’ll add it to this list).

Holy Cross Benedictine Monastery, Rostrevor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland

When I was in Northern Ireland, I stayed at a retreat center in Rostrevor, in County Down. Just four miles down the road is Holy Cross Monastery, which according to its website is the first new Benedictine monastery in Ireland since the twelfth century! It was established in 1998, and currently is home to six monks. I attended lauds there one morning, and mass on Sunday; nearly all the locals who spoke of the monastery mentioned that the monks sang beautifully, and indeed they were right.

Happily, the monks have posted three MP3s on their website, so you can hear their lovely singing for yourself. Just follow these links to enjoy.

Credo •  Jubilate •  Suscepimus

The monks indicate on their website that these tracks are samples for downloading, so feel free to save these to your computer or iPod.

Heading to Downpatrick: the beautiful Irish countryside

The only camera I had with me on my recent trip to Northern Ireland was my iPhone camera. So I didn’t take a lot of pictures, and the ones I did take will hardly win any awards. Eventually the various retreatants are going to be swapping photos amongst ourselves, so hopefully I’ll have a few more shots to share with you in the future. But for now, here are a few images from a most remarkable week.

The front yard of the Christian Renewal Centre in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, where our retreat was held. Looking out over Carlingford Lough, with the Republic of Ireland across the water. Gotta love the Palm Tree!

Interior of the Church of the Holy Redeemer, Clonard Monastery, Belfast. Clonard was an important site early in the peace process, where secret talks were held to further the cause of nonviolence.

A newer monastery. Holy Cross Monastery, just a few miles from Rostrevor, is home to six Benedictine monks, who contribute in their own contemplative way to the peace process: by ministering to all, regardless of creed. I attended mass here on Sunday, and the monks sang traditional chant beautifully.

St. Patrick's Memorial Church, in Saul (near Downpatrick). Built on the site reputed to be where Patrick established his first mission.

Inside St. Patrick's Memorial Church, Saul.

The putative burial site of Saints Patrick, Brigit, and Columcille, on the grounds of Down Cathedral.

A somber reminder of the troubles. The "Peace Line" of west Belfast, a wall separating the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods.

Pádraig Ó Tuama, a true Irish bard, came to our retreat on its final evening to share his poetry and song. Here he poses for a snapshot with your humble blogger.